Careers

About Us

As the UK's recognised Governing Body for weightlifting and para powerlifting, our role is to inspire a nation of lifters through exceptional leadership and expertise.

We are responsible for the growth and success of weightlifting and para powerlifting at every level. Our work sees us support a network of weightlifting bodies, clubs and gyms across the UK, as well as the thousands of people actively involved in Olympic and Paralympic weightlifting disciplines.

We strive to deliver exceptional training programmes, educational structures and competitions that create opportunities for people to participate and excel in our sport. Whether you’re an aspiring weightlifter or para powerlifter at your local club or an elite athlete competing on the international stage, we are here to help you fulfil your potential.

About The Role

Job Purpose

The Performance Project Manager is responsible for the end-to-end project management, operational delivery, and continuous improvement of British Weight Lifting's (BWL) Talent Academy Programme and Raise the Bar (RTB) projects.

Acting as the programme lead, the post-holder coordinates delivery across multiple external partners and internal teams to ensure funded projects remain on track, risks are proactively managed, governance standards are met, and Sport England investments deliver measurable strategic impact to grow a broad, diverse base of talent.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning & Operational Delivery:

• Lead the complete project lifecycle for all Talent Academy and Raise the Bar initiatives from initiation through to evaluation.
• Maintain project plans, delivery schedules, and risk registers to deliver projects on time, within scope, and on budget.

Site Visits & Field Engagement:

Conduct regular site visits to Talent Academies (up to 1 day per week, Octoberâ??April) to observe delivery, collect evidence, conduct governance reviews, and engage with local staff and coaches.

Pathway Trials & Assessment Support:

• Support BWL Performance Pathway Trials quarterly, contributing to the operational planning, coordination, and execution of athlete assessment events.

Governance, Compliance & Funding:

• Ensure strict alignment with BWL policies, safeguarding guidelines, and Sport England funding conditions. Collaborate with the Head of Performance Operations to coordinate annual funding application processes and merit-based Sport England fund allocation.

Stakeholder Management & Development:

• Build relationships with Talent Academy leads, club coaches, and cross-departmental teams (Safeguarding & Compliance, Sports Development).
• Aid in the planning and delivery of in-person development days and facilitate a Talent Academy "community of practice" to foster shared learning and link grassroots projects to the performance pathway.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting:

• Conduct project milestone reviews and generate quarterly performance reports for the BWL Management Team to drive transparent, evidence-based decision-making.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Tracking:

• Establish data tracking mechanisms to measure and report on demographic engagement metrics, ensuring Talent Academies and Raise the Bar projects actively expand participation among under-represented groups in line with Sport England targets.

Data Protection & GDPR Oversight:

• Ensure full compliance with GDPR and BWL data protection policies when capturing, storing, and processing athlete assessment records, medical consent forms, and media permissions during site visits and national testing days.

Facility & Equipment Risk Audits:

• Incorporate standardized equipment, platform, and facility safety checklists during Talent Academy site visits to ensure safe training environments and mitigate operational risks.

Storytelling & Marketing Alignment:

• Partner with the BWL Marketing and Communications team to identify, capture, and package success stories, case studies, and impact data from Talent Academies and Raise the Bar projects to promote the programme's value across digital platforms and institutional funding reports.

Person Specification

The person specification describes the experience, qualifications, knowledge, skills and abilities that BWL are looking for.

Minimum requirements:

• Proven background in end-to-end project management or project coordination within sport, health, or community delivery sectors.
• Valid UK driver's license and ability to travel across the UK to conduct site visits and support weekend/evening events.
• Clean enhanced DBS check and commitment to safeguarding in sport.

Essential skills/experience:

• Project Lifecycle Management: Demonstrated ability to create project schedules, track delivery budgets, compile risk registers, and produce quarterly milestone reports.
• Stakeholder & Network Coordination: Proven ability to build collaborative relationships across multi-partner networks, academy leads, grassroots club coaches, and funding partners.
• Governance & Budget Compliance: Solid understanding of financial monitoring, managing public grant funding conditions (e.g., Sport England), and adhering to organisational compliance standards.
• Event & Trial Logistics: Hands-on experience contributing to the operational execution of sports events.
• Impact Storytelling & Content Capture: Proven ability to identify compelling human-interest stories, extract qualitative impact data, and collaborate with marketing teams and contractors to translate project milestones into engaging digital content.
• Data Privacy Compliance: Solid understanding of GDPR and data protection regulations regarding the handling of data for project participants (including under 18s).
• Diversity & Inclusion Frameworks: Practical experience utilising demographic data to monitor, evaluate, and report on diversity and inclusion targets within community or sports programmes

Desirable skills/experience:

• Recognised project management qualification (e.g., PRINCE2, Agile, or PMQ).
• Direct experience working with National Governing Body (NGB) talent pathways, talent academies, or school outreach initiatives.
• Experience facilitating "communities of practice" or peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing workshops for sports coaches and volunteers.
• Experience conducting basic video/written interviews during site visits or events to capture athlete, coach, and community feedback for promotional campaigns.

Further Information

Salary and Benefits

• The starting salary for the position will be £32,000 FTE depending on experience and qualifications. Salaries are reviewed each year in April.
• 26 days (FTE) annual leave (which increases with length of service), plus statutory bank holidays.
• A company pension scheme.
• An annual bonus scheme.
• An Employee Assistance Programme delivered by a third-party organisation.
• Working Pattern & Travel Requirements
• This is a flexible hybrid role combining home-based administration with key in-person site visits: October - April: Up to 1 day per week travelling to visit Talent Academies to monitor delivery, conduct governance reviews, and engage with staff and coaches.
• Home-Based: The remainder of your time will be spent working remotely on project planning, stakeholder management, risk monitoring, reporting, and administration.
• Quarterly: You will be required to support the in-person delivery of British Weight Lifting performance staff development days and operational delivery of athlete assessment events.
• From time to time: You will be required to contribute to athlete testing and trial days, which generally take place on weekends.

Application and Selection Process

We are aware of the increase in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Generative AI (Gen AI) to support candidates in job applications. At BWL we are keen to get to know you as a person and how you fulfil to criteria for the role. So, if you use AI tools, please ensure your final application is an accurate, authentic and honest reflection of your own skills, experience, qualifications and motivation for the role. Candidates remain responsible for all content submitted as part of your application.

Please note, this does not apply to the use of any other adaptive technology required to support an applicant's individual needs. BWL is committed to providing and supporting an inclusive culture that promotes equality, diversity and inclusion.

We are proud of the diverse communities we represent and want to ensure our workforce is representative of that community, so welcome applications from all sections of the community and diverse groups. We will, at every opportunity, advance equality and inclusivity within our organisation, by addressing barriers, encouraging participation and taking all relevant steps to meet everyone's needs.

To apply for the role, please download and complete the application form and the EDI monitoring form from our website

Careers at BWL

British Weight Lifting and email them to sue.ward@bwl.sport no later than 17 September 2026. Shortlisting will take place as soon as possible once applications close. Successful applicants will be contacted via email with information relating to the interview time, location and format.

Interviews will take place in person on 24 September 2026. If you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Apply for role

Closing date: 17th September 2026